Apple has announced updates to its consumer music author app, GarageBand. One of the new features ties directly to the release of Apple Music: Artists on Apple Music Connect can publish directly to the service from GarageBand for iOS.

Apple Music Connect was unveiled on Tuesday as part of the Apple Music service. It’s a social aspect that gives artists a venue for interacting with fans.

Apple Music Connect artists can, say, create a sample of a melody that they just thought of and make it available on Connect to get feedback from fans. Or an artist can offer previews of new singles that are about to drop. It’s another way for artists to cultivate a community on Apple Music.

Why this matters: Differentiating Apple Music from other streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora and Rdio is important to Apple. Connect is a social service that the others don’t have, and the ability of artists to upload songs from GarageBand cuts out the middleman, giving fans a sense of direct access. Fans also benefit by getting content that may not be found in any other streaming service. It’s another feature that Apple can tout over its competitors.

New Mac features for EDM and hip-hop

The new GarageBand 10.1 for Mac (Mac App Store link) has features geared towards musicians of electronic dance music (EDM) and hip-hop. These features come as a result of Apple’s acquisition earlier this year of Camel Audio, makers of the Alchemy a software sample synthesiser. They’ve been previewed on Apple’s GarageBand website prior to Tuesday, but they are now officially available.

Version 10.1 includes an update to GarageBand’s Drummer feature, which offers simple controls that allow you to create realistic performances with a few simple control adjustments. The update has 10 new drummers, all with electronic music in mind, including Boom Bap Hip Hop, Dubstep, EDM and Retro 80s.

GarageBand also has 100 new EDM and hip-hop synth patches and a new Transform Pad Smart Control. The Transform Pad allows for customisation of synths by clicking and/or dragging on a grid of controls that modify the sound. You can also record the performances of any of the software’s Smart Controls.

Apple’s GarageBand website offers samples and demos of the new Drummer and Transform Pad features, so you can see for yourself how they work.

Other new GarageBand features include support for Force Touch gestures and feedback, and a thousand new Apple Loops.

The 10.1 update is free to owners of version 10. The app is also available in the App Store for US$5.